Gas fired appliances, such as residential gas-fired water heaters, often include a main gas burner to provide heat for the appliance and a pilot burner assembly that provides a standing pilot flame to ignite the main gas burner (e.g., for the first time or if the main burner flame goes out). In the case of water heaters, a main gas burner is used to heat water within a water tank of the water heater. A thermostat is typically provided to control the temperature of the water inside the tank and typically may be set within a particular range (e.g., warm, hot or very hot). A pilot burner assembly provides a standing pilot flame to ignite the main gas burner. Further, water heaters typically include a thermocouple device to detect whether the pilot flame is present. The thermocouple device is typically electrically connected to a gas valve which supplies gas to the main burner of the water heater. The heat generated by the pilot flame creates an electrical current or signal in the thermocouple that keeps the gas valve open. When the pilot flame goes out, no current or signal is generated by the thermocouple, causing the gas valve to close.
Pilot burner assemblies typically include a burner tube assembly through which gas is fed and an igniter to ignite the gas supplied through the burner tube assembly. Known burner tube assemblies typically have several discrete components used to connect the burner tube assembly to a gas supply line, and to mount the pilot burner assembly within the water heater system. Further, such components often require precise connecting procedures, such as staking or tightening according to a torque specification. Assembly of such pilot burner assemblies is thus timely and complicated.
Additionally, at least some pilot burner assemblies include a pilot hood as a separate component from the burner tube assembly, further increasing the material cost and time needed to assemble such pilot burner assemblies. Moreover, the spark gap between the igniter and an igniting component (e.g., the pilot hood) in such pilot burner assemblies often requires adjustment following assembly of the pilot burner assembly to ensure proper operation. In some pilot burner assemblies, the proper spark gap is obtained by bending the igniter toward or away from the igniting component, such as the pilot hood, until the proper spark gap is obtained. While such bending may provide the desired spark gap, it is often difficult, time-consuming, and costly. Further, the igniter and the ignition component are susceptible to rotation, bending, and other movement during subsequent handling of the burner assembly, which may alter the size of the spark gap. Further, the resulting spark gap between the igniter and the igniting component is often unreliable as the arc path may not consistently intersect the air-fuel mixture discharged from the burner tube.
Moreover, thermocouples used in known pilot burner assemblies are not optimized for the systems in which they are used, thus resulting in power efficiency losses.
This Background section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.